Pay Attention!

Man, it is hot out. It’s hot in the morning, it’s hot in the evening, and it’s most definitely hot in the hours in between.

How hot is it?!

It’s so hot, that ________.

Yep, it’s so hot that I’m gonna make you fill in your own joke.

Last week, I talked about the importance of hydration; it’s a necessary topic when it’s this hot, no doubt. But, what’s also a danger is how easily one can lose focus while running in your head, in this insane heat. At times all I can think about is staying upright. It’s during those times that I’m not as focused on my surroundings as I should be.

My neighborhood is filled with street activity. I live near a school, so most weekdays there’s heavy traffic. Walkers, bikers and runners abound too. As one who runs on the actual street and not the unforgiving concrete sidewalks (my knees can’t take the beating), I have to be vigilant for my safety.

To add to the mix this summer, there is a huge road construction project going on throughout my neighborhood/running route. I not only have to make sure the regular-sized vehicles see me, but now I gotta make sure the monster trucks and concrete movers are aware of me, while I try to be of them, as I zip around their possibly bone-crushing equipment.

This is not the time to lose focus because I’m hot.

I’m lucky though. The dudes working in my neighborhood are great. When the crew sees me, they couldn’t be more helpful. Last week, they flagged me to stop, signaled the crew to stop, got the cars to stop, then finally flagged me through. I felt bad being the cause of all that flagging commotion, but Momma’s gotta run!

We’re getting to know each other, as I’m out on the streets almost as often as they are. Good Mornings are exchanged, as well as head nods and the occasional thumbs up (the thumbs up are usually given by me on my return trip. too hot to talk…). These are not merely simple pleasantries, although I do like to know my neighbors, even if they are temporary. Getting to know faces, theirs and mine, is part of my safety strategy.

If I become part of the silent scenery because all I can focus on is how frickin’ hot it is, I’m more at risk of having an accident. Yet, if they know me as the girl who runs through their worksite, as the girl who says Good Morning! (or in my case HOLLA!), or as the girl who insists they use that flag on her cause it’s so much fun, then they become aware that I’m around. I become someone they are looking for, someone NOT to crush. Not that they would crush a quieter person. I think…

And it works both ways, because I become more engaged as I approach them as well.

I know that running through a Texas summer takes sheer fortitude. I know that the heat can cause our focus on our surroundings to wane. I know that to get through a run, sometimes we pretend to chase an imaginary giant coconut snow cone. No, on that last one? That’s just me?

LIARS!

Wherever you run this summer, be safe mah babies. And remember, with each new run under our belt, we’re one day closer to fall.